The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Achillea plant, botanically known as Achillea millefolium ‘Wonderful Wampee’ and will be referred to hereinafter by its cultivar name, ‘Wonderful Wampee’. The new cultivar of Achillea is an herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
‘Wonderful Wampee’ was derived from a breeding program that focused on obtaining Achillea cultivars with a long blooming habit and flower colors that are resistant to fading. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ was selected in the summer of 2001 as a whole plant mutation that arose from repeated selections from seed originally sown of the seed strain Achillea ‘Summer Pastels’ (not patented) in Boskoop, The Netherlands.
‘Wonderful Wampee’ was selected as unique primarily for its sturdy stems, its compact plant habit and its clear pink flowers. ‘Summer Pastels’, the parent strain, produces plants with variable plant habits and flowers with variable colors and color-fastness. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ differs from its closest comparison cultivar based on flower color, Achillea millefolium ‘Appleblossom’ (not patented), in having a more compact plant habit. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ is more densely foliaged, has shorter stem internodes, and is shorter in height than ‘Appleblossom’. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ is similar in bloom period and plant habit to ‘Apricot Delight’ from the same breeding program, however ‘Apricot Delight’ has salmon pink flowers and is slightly shorter.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by basal cuttings in under the direction of the inventor in Lancaster, Pa. in September of 2002. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.